Well, I really was not kidding. I just needed cake, and it needed to be chocolate. I mean, of course it needed to be chocolate.

I have been all wrapped up in summer foods, no bake desserts and even trying my hand at few fruit desserts. Thus I’ve let way too much time pass without having any chocolate cake and/or chocolate like things in the house. How I could do this I have no idea.

Plus, the day I made this cake, my mom, who I had not seen in over a month, was coming home the next day. I figured what better time for chocolate cake? If there is a chocolate cake lover in the world, it is her. Without doubt.

As I was shooting the cake (c’mon – photographing it!), I actually got so exited about it that I sent my mom photos just to so she’d know what she was coming home to.

She was beyond happy. Especially knowing that this time she would actually be able to eat the cake.

See, for the past month I have been emailing my mom photos asking her what she thought because I can never just be happy with a photo I take. I have to have a second opinion. So I sent her multiple photos almost every day for the last thirty some days. I know, it’s so crazy, but well, that is just me. I can own the craziness. Needless to say, they are quite happy to be home now.

And especially happy when they returned home to chocolate cake. I mean, who would not be?

Now let’s talk about the fact that I did indeed add corn to this chocolate. Yes, real corn, right off the cob. Well, I did caramelize it first to give it an even sweeter flavor, but it is real corn.

You guys, DO NOT freak out that I put corn in the cake and that I actually made healthier cake. I promise that this cake is nothing short of pure indulgence. Dare I say it is one of my favorite cakes to date? Yep, I do.

It passed the test of all the family members. I of course never told any of the boys there was corn, whole wheat flour and flax-seed in it. That would be a stupid thing to do. Although, now that I think about it, it probably would have been a smart thing to do. Less cake eaters = more cake for me. Gotta think smarter next time.

Ok, so how did I think to put corn in chocolate cake?

Well, I was hiking (all the best ideas happen then) and thinking that I really just wanted to make a chocolate cake. A really chocolatey, chocolate cake. But then I thought I needed to make it a little summery because I want everything to be summery this month. Gotta go out with a bang.

I really dislike fruit and chocolate together, so then what?

At first I was all, well maybe zucchini, but then I thought, everyone is doing zucchini. That’s when corn came to mind. I figured if I could put corn in ice cream, why not chocolate cake?

Yes, I thought is was weird too, but trust me, it works. And it works SO well.

Just like zucchini, adding corn keeps this cake incredibly moist. I mean, like it’s actually fudgey it is so moist, and that’s a hard thing to get when using whole wheat flour in a cake. I am telling you, corn is my new secret weapon when it comes to cake. You have to try it.

I also added a little hazelnut liquor to help the chocolate flavors really pop. It’s so good.

Oh and um, the popcorn sitting on top! I figured with corn actually in the cake, what better way to top the cake than with some crunchy caramel popcorn. It just melts in your mouth while still adding a little crunch to the soft and fudgey cake. Holy yum, I need another slice.

And the ganache, yeah so I guess this really isn’t that healthy. Although it’s just cream and chocolate. I personally don’t see that as being unhealthy because cream is natural and chocolate is full of antioxidants. Yep, still healthy in my mind.

Anyway, the whole cake is covered in ganache, both whipped and un-whipped. I know I already said this, but… so good.

Ganache

Hazenut Crunch Popcorn

6cupsair popped popcorn

1/2cupraw hazelnutsroughly chopped

1/4cuphoney

2tablespoonscoconut sugaror brown sugar

1/4cupwater

1teaspoonvanilla

1tablespoonhazelnut liquoroptional

2teaspoonssalt

Instructions

Cake

Add the butter to a skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the corn, if desired you can add 1 tablespoon of coconut or brown sugar to help the corn caramelize better. Cook five minutes or until the corn has browned lightly and caramelized. Remove from the heat and stir in 1 tablespoon hazelnut liquor. Pour the corn into a high powdered blender or food processor. Add the buttermilk and puree until completely smooth, about three minutes. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer (or use a hand held mixer) beat together the eggs, corn/buttermilk mixture, melted coconut oil, vanilla and hazelnut liquor (if using) until smooth. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients with the mixer on low until there are no longer any clumps of flour. Add the hot coffee and mix until combined. Batter should be pourable, but not super thin.

Pour the batter among the 2 cake pans and bake 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are just set and no longer wiggly in the center. Remove and let cool five minutes, then run a knife around the edges of the pan. Grab 2 large flat plates, line them with wax or parchment paper and invert the cakes onto the paper lined plates. Cover and let the cakes cool completely before frosting.

To make the ganache, in a microwave safe bowl add the chocolate and heavy cream. Microwave on high for 30 second intervals, stirring between each until melted. Once melted stir in the vanilla extract and salt. Pour all but 1/3-1/2 cup of the ganache into a separate mixing bowl. Set the smaller amount of ganache aside, cover the larger amount and place in the fridge for 15 minutes or leave on the counter for 1 hour.

Meanwhile make the popcorn, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Add the popcorn and hazelnuts to a greased baking sheet. In a small sauce pot add the honey, coconut sugar and water. Bring to a boil and cook 2 minutes, remove from the heat and slowly stir in the vanilla and hazelnut liquor. Pour the sauce over the popcorn and use your hands to toss the sauce with the popcorn. Make sure it coats all the popcorn. Bake for 15 minutes, tossing once to ensure even cooking. Cool completely before topping the cake.

Now grab the chilled ganache from the fridge and beat it with a mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, 2 to 4 minutes. You now have whipped chocolate ganache!

To assemble the cake, place 1 layer, flat side up, on a plate or cake stand. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with a layer of whipped ganache. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the whipped ganache evenly on the top and sides of the cake. Now grab the remaining, un-whipped ganache. If needed place it back in the microwave so it is pourable. Pour the ganache over top the cake. Top with the hazelnut crunch popcorn. Slice and serve or store in the fridge until ready to serve. If storing in the fridge I find it best to remove the cake 15-30 minutes before eating. Enjoy with a cold glass of milk and extra popcorn!

So enjoy these last remaining Friday’s of summer… with umm, cake. Lots of cake.

Okay I have to admit, when you first said you put corn in a cake, I was a little apprehensive that the cake was going to be studded with kernels of corn, but then when I realized they get blended up, it suddenly totally made sense! How ingenious! And that must have been torture for your mom, getting emails with pictures of food she wasn’t going to get to eat…

Holly cow! I need a slice of this right now!! Corn is very sweet..especially when roasted, so it makes sense (if you can bend your mind around veggies being sweet) to add it to desserts. Plus chocolate is like the #1 health food…am I right?? Like jam packed with antioxidants, so of course I’d need like two slices…or the whole cake! 😀

This is an absolutely delicious cake! I made it yesterday for the last meal my entire family would share before my little brother goes off to Maryland to start his PhD. We have our fair share of picky eaters in my family, so naturally, I didn’t tell them what the secret healthy ingredients were in this cake. My dad who is quite the picky eater declared that this was the best chocolate cake I’ve ever made! We devoured half this cake, and I was only able to take one slice home for myself! Thanks for yet again another amazing recipe. I’ve already had a few requests from friends to make this cake again soon!

I really want to make this cake but I’m wondering: Can you taste the corn in it? Because as much as I enjoy chocolate drizzled popcorn, I’m not sure I’d like the taste of actual corn with chocolate, so I wanted to ask! Thank you 😀

Hey! So, I made the cake base (and subbed in applesauce for half of the oil), and for some reason, I had a terrible time getting the cake out of the pans. I thought I sprayed them with enough non-stick garbage, but they both crumbled into multiple chunks that I desperately pieced together with frosting. So much for my beautiful exposed layer cake plan. Any thoughts on why this happened?

My guess is that your cake was a little dry from subbing applesauce. With all the healthier ingredients going on, the cake really needs an oil to help it bake up properly. This is the only thing that I can think would have happened. Did you line your cake pans with parchment paper? I aways do this and never have any problems with cake sticking and or crumbling. Also, is it possible it was over baked at all? That could play a roll as well.

Please let me know if you have any thoughts or questions. Thanks Tieghan!

Tieghan, You’re probably right about it being too dry due to the applesauce, and I did not use parchment paper. I’m going to try again this week and use the oil rather than half applesauce/half oil. Thanks for the tips. Can’t wait to eat this again! Jenny

FYI – if anyone is trying to make this cake out of corn season, I made it with frozen corn and it turned out great! I put the frozen kernels in the pan with butter on low and then turned up the heat and added sugar after they seemed to be defrosted.

My only hiccup with the cake – I didn’t achieve the beautiful two-toned ganache but maybe I didn’t let it get cold enough before whipping?

Meet Tieghan Gerard.

I’m Tieghan, the recipes you’ll find here are inspired by the people and places I love most. I try to live simply, eat seasonally, and cook with whole foods. My hope is to inspire a love for amazing food, as well as the courage to try something new!